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Charlotte officials satisfied with lead investigation findings

Charlotte City Council voted this week not to spend any more money or resources investigating the validity of an allegation that lead fittings were used in water pipe work in the last three years.(Photo: Rachel Greco/Lansing State Journal)Buy Photo

CHARLOTTE - The city won't spend any more money or resources investigating an allegation that fittings containing lead were used during repairs to Charlotte's water system sometime in the last three years.

Charlotte City Council voted Monday 4-2 against moving forward with the excavation of pipes near the city's public skating rink off Shepherd Street. Councilman Anthony Russo told state officials an unnamed informant told him fittings containing lead were used during the rink's installation in 2015.

Using lead fittings in the water system has been prohibited by state law since January 2014.

Three council members — Mayor Tim Lewis, Yvonne Ridge and Corey Sanders — said Monday they believe a DEQ investigation into Russo's allegation and a subsequent city investigation into Russo's claim proves there's no merit to any of the allegations.

Additionally, Russo has refused to name his informant.

The city's drinking water is safe, City Manager Gregg Guetschow said, and now an investigation proves the allegations about lead fittings are unfounded.

"We've expended considerable effort here to satisfy ourselves that we did everything properly," he said.

City records show Russo brought a complaint to the state's Department of Environmental Quality, without the knowledge of other city officials, in September and that the agency found the claim had no merit.

In October, Russo told other city officials he had contacted the DEQ and that his informant was a current or former city employee who came forward in August.

The allegation was that lead fittings were used at some of the 47 sites where city staff performed work to connect pipes to some water lines. Russo added that he obtained a signed affidavit from the individual “so that I covered myself in taking this forward.”

At Monday's City Council meeting staff with the city's Department of Public Works presented information about the equipment and inventory used to repair water pipes in the city.

Guetschow presented records that he said prove lead fittings weren't used since state standards were changed.

The city didn't invest money into its investigation, Guetschow said, but it expended staff resources. Over the last two weeks Amy Gilson, the city's director of public works spent about "80 percent of her time" researching work her staff has done over the last three years. Guetschow said he did the same, and at least one other public works employee, Blake Vandorpe, the department's clerk, invested significant time looking into it as well.

At the Monday meeting Vandorpe told officials the department took Russo's claims seriously.

"This is frustrating for me and the guys that I work with because we take pride in everything we do," he said. "It is our integrity."

The issue was significant for the city, as excavating one site could cost as much as $3,000 and digging up all of them could have cost more than $144,000.

"There's no merit to the suggestion that on any residential services that we installed old brass," he said. "That's all there is to it. There is no credible reason that we would have for doing that."

Ridge said she trusts the city's findings and doesn't believe the city should expend any more money investigating Russo's allegations.

"I think the allegations, from what I have seen are unfounded," she said.

Both Russo and Bahmer voted to proceed with a motion to excavate a few sites where Russo alleged lead fittings were used. Lewis, Johnston, Ridge, and Sanders voted against the excavation. Councilman Bill Mitchell was absent from the meeting.

A separate motion byRusso to excavate piping near the skate rink failed on a 3-3 vote, with Russo, Chris Bahmer and Brad Johnston voting in favor of it, and Lewis, Sanders and Ridge against.

Councilman Chris Bahmer said he saw value in excavating pipes hear the rink. "It's not a horrible idea just to double check, make sure and I think at that point it'd be a lot easier to put the issue to rest."